2019-09-17: News Headlines

WSWS (2019-09-17). Inspector general report details Trump's abuse of immigrant children. wsws.org Thousands of children have been subjected to intense trauma in the detention facilities of the Trump administration.

(2019-09-17). No Border Wall: Destabilizing Borderland Ecosystems, Perpetuating Human Suffering. globalresearch.ca More than 650 miles of barriers already exist along the border. These walls, fences and barriers cut through sensitive ecosystems, disrupt animal migration patterns, cause catastrophic flooding, and divide communities and tribal nations. | Congress has already approved more than $3 …

Laiken Jordahl (2019-09-17). Wild Life in Peril: Trump's Border Wall Puts Borderland Birds at Risk. globalresearch.ca From the wetlands of California's Tijuana Slough near San Diego to the lush Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge in South Texas, the U.S.-Mexico borderlands are a haven for hundreds of rare and beautiful bird species. This is a birding mecca….

Staff (2019-09-17). "On Fire": In New Book, Naomi Klein Makes the Case for a Green New Deal to Save the Planet. democracynow.org Amid mounting climate disasters across the planet, from the fires ravaging the Amazon to Hurricane Dorian's destructive path through the Bahamas, we speak with renowned journalist, author and activist Naomi Klein. In her new book, "On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal," Klein looks unsparingly at the rise of ecofascism, as Western countries fortify their borders and white supremacy surges around the world in response to the climate crisis. But she also lays out another path forward in which mankind meets the challenge of global warming with radical and systemic transformation. "We do know that if we a…

Staff (2019-09-17). Headlines for September 17, 2019. democracynow.org Iran Rejects Talks with U.S. Following Disputed Drone Attacks in Saudi Arabia, Israelis Head to Polls to Decide Netanyahu's Fate, Afghanistan: Blast Near Presidential Rally Kills Dozens Amid Mounting Violence, Massive Blackout Hits Four Central American Nations, 2 Italian Officials Indicted over Migrant Deaths from 2013 Shipwreck, 2019 Was Northern Hemisphere's Hottest Summer on Record, Auto Workers Continue Strike with Support from Dems, Environmental Activists, Manhattan DA Subpoenas Trump Tax Returns, Acting Intelligence Dir. Refused to Turn Over Whistleblower Complaint That Could Involve Trump, House Dems Inv…

The Canary (2019-09-16). More refugees rescued after trying to seek safety across the Channel. thecanary.co Another group of refugees is thought to have been rescued off the Kent coast as the wave of people trying to cross the Channel from France in small boats continues.On Monday morning, a group of people draped in blankets were seen being brought ashore at the Port of Dover by Border Force officials.The group — thought to number 12 and mostly men with at least one woman — were searched, handed over to immigration officials and taken away in a van after coming ashore at around 11am.A group of people thought to be refugees brought to shore by Border Force officers at the Port of Dover in Kent on Monday (Gare…

teleSUR (2019-09-16). Three Men Accused of Torturing Migrants Are Arrested in Italy. telesurenglish.net Three men were arrested Monday in Italy over accusations of rape, torture and human trafficking of migrants at a prisoners camp in Libya after several witnesses recognized them in Sicily, as reported by The Guardian. | The three men allegedly ran the notorious Zawiya prison, a former military base where they retained those trying to sail through the Mediterranean until they could pay a ransom. | RELATED | Rwanda to Take in Refugees Trapped in Libya's Detention Centers | The ac…

Elizabeth Pennisi (2019-09-16). Common Pesticide Makes Migrating Birds Anorexic. globalresearch.ca When birds migrate, timing is everything. Fly too late, and they miss the peak season for finding good food, a good mate, or a good nest site. But that's just what may happen to migrants unlucky enough to eat pesticide-laced …

Staff (2019-09-16). Supreme Court Ruling Pushes Tens of Thousands Toward Summary Deportation. truthout.org | | Last week's Supreme Court decision on Trump's new asylum restrictions inaugurates a horrifying new restrictionist era in U.S. immigration policy. | The decision, which allows the new constraints to go into effect while the legal challenges against them make their way through the court process, has made the (often undeserved) image of the U.S. as a leader in t…

Josue De Luna Navarro (2019-09-16). Immigration Is a Climate Issue. progressive.org The United States, the top historic contributor to carbon emissions, has been treating climate refugees from its own pollution as threats. We can do better.

Brian Bienkowski (2019-09-16). Common insecticide threatens survival of wild, migrating birds. nationofchange.org Migrating songbirds exposed to small amounts of a neonicotinoid pesticide suffered weight loss and migration delays, both of which could reduce their chances of survival, according to a new study. | The study is the first to examine the impacts of neonicotinoids—in this case, one called imidacloprid—on wild birds and suggests the pesticides are putting migrating birds at risk during their migration, which hampers their ability to survive and, ultimately, reproduce. | "The sublethal effects of imidacloprid on food consumption, body condition, and stopover duration have clear links with survival and…

Nelson Rauda, John Washington (2019-09-16). The Latest Link in Trump's Anti-Immigrant Chain: El Salvador's New Border Patrol. thenation.com The Latest Link in Trump's Anti-Immigrant Chain: El Salvador's New Border Patrol…

Eoin Higgins, staff writer (2019-09-16). It's Not Just Trump: New Report Details How Greed of 'Border-Industrial Complex' Fuels Militarization and Abuse. commondreams.org "The last three decades have witnessed an unstoppable boom in U.S. border spending and many arms, security, and IT firms have made millions as a result." | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/child_migrant_cd.jpg

The Canary (2019-09-15). Refugee boats carrying children, women and men intercepted after French camp clearances. thecanary.co Small boats carrying children, women and men have been intercepted off the Kent coast after a wave of refugee camp clearances in France.At least two Border Force vessels, carrying what appeared to be around a dozen refugees and asylum seekers in orange life-vests, were seen pulling into Dover on Sunday morning.It is understood more UK-bound boats were caught before reaching British shores — although events are still unfolding.The Home Office said it was "aware of ongoing incidents".A couple thought to be migrants after being brought to shore by Border Force officers (Gareth Fuller/PA)It comes days after Bord…

RT (2019-09-15). Yang says SNL novice should not be fired over Chinese racial slur, drowned out by PC crowd. rt.com Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang has said that Saturday Night Live's new hire Shane Gillis should not be sacked for making a tasteless joke after a clip of him mocking Chinatowns resurfaced, setting Twitter alight. | Yang, a son of immigrants from Taiwan, struck a distinctly different tone from most online warriors when he said he would be "happy to sit down and talk" with Gillis about the ill-fated clip that resurfaced on Friday. The video shows the comedian tearing into Chinatowns and their inhabitants. | "Damn, Chinatown is f**king nuts," Gillis says in the clip, referring to the ability of Chi…

Staff (2019-09-15). Tohono O'odham Nation: 'All These Areas Can Collapse'. therealnews.com Tohono O'odham Nation Members voice their objections to Trump's border wall and the disruption of the lives of the people and animals that have lived there for centuries…

Fight Back (2019-09-15). USF students demand no immigration authorities on campus. fightbacknews.org Tampa, Fl – On September 10, students at the University of South Florida (USF) participated in a national day of action that was called by National Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) to speak out against the Trump administration's attacks on undocumented immigrants. The event was hosted by Tampa Bay Students for a Democratic Society (SDS). Over 30 students and staff attended. | During President Donald Trump's tenure, his administration has engaged in escalating attacks against undocumented immigrants. Some of these attacks include Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detaining undocumented children in h…

Joe Piette (2019-09-14). Protest of India's rule over Kashmir. workers.org Chanting "From Kashmir to Palestine, occupation is a crime," over 100 people, mostly immigrants from Kashmir, rallied on Sept. 6 outside the Masjid Al-Madinah Upper Darby Islamic Center near Philadelphia to call attention to India's recent human rights' abuses and violations of Kashmir's sovereignty. | Continue reading Protest of India's rule over Kashmir at Workers.org

unitedEditor (2019-09-14). Trump and Mexico: a step toward restoring order on the border. uwidata.com On Wednesday, the US Supreme Court reaffirmed the president's right to limit asylum requests for migrants from Central and South America. Trump hailed the decision as a "big victory," while his opponents issued heavy criticism. According to the new ruling, migrants who cross over the United States' southern border will be required to prove that …

Debbie Nathan (2019-09-13). An Asylum Officer Speaks Out Against the Trump Administration's "Supervillain" Attacks on Immigrants. theintercept.com Asylum officers at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS, were reeling after John Lafferty, director of the asylum division, was replaced on Monday by Andrew Davidson, former deputy associate director for USCIS's fraud detection and national security directorate. Then came the Supreme Court's ruling Wednesday reinstating the Trump administration's "third-country" rule, which effectively denies asylum to all Central American immigrants if they passed through another country on the way…

Ellie Dorritie (2019-09-13). Buffalo demonstrates solidarity with El Paso Firme. workers.org Im/migrant rights supporters held a rally and march in Buffalo, N,Y., on Sept. 7 in solidarity with El Paso Firme, taking place in El Paso, Texas, on the same day. The National Action Against White Supremacy was called by the Border Network for Human Rights, RAICES Texas, the National Day . . . | Continue reading Buffalo demonstrates solidarity with El Paso Firme at Workers.org

Kathy Kelly (2019-09-13). A Morning in Afghanistan. dissidentvoice.org On a very warm September morning in Kabul, several dozen men, women, and children sit on the carpeted floor of a room at the Afghan Peace Volunteers' Borderfree Center. The women cluster together. All wear burqas, but because of the heat they push the steel blue veils back, revealing their faces. Most of the men …

Staff (2019-09-13). Should Latinos Trust Biden? Former VP Refuses to Criticize Obama's Deportation of 3 Million People. democracynow.org Debate moderator Jorge Ramos of Univision grilled former Vice President Joe Biden over the Obama administration's deportation record. Biden refused to answer whether he did anything to prevent Obama from deporting a record 3 million people.

Staff (2019-09-13). "Racism in America Is Endemic": Democratic Candidates Vow to Confront White Supremacy & Legacy of Slavery. democracynow.org During the third Democratic debate Thursday night, the discussion of race and racism got personal for former HUD Secretary Julián Castro, who brought up last month's El Paso massacre. He said the white gunman who killed 22 people, mostly Latinos, had driven to the border city "to kill people who look like me." Former Texas Congressmember Beto O'Rourke, who is from El Paso, said racism is endemic and foundational of the United States. He mentioned that this year will mark the 400th anniversary of the first enslaved African being brought to America, and promised he would create a slavery reparations commission.

Maryam Saleh (2019-09-12). With Trump in Office, Newspapers Increasingly Quoted Anti-Immigrant Groups Without Explaining Who They Were. theintercept.com A new study found that, as far-right groups gained influence in the halls of power, major newspapers quoted them without noting their nativist bent.

Staff (2019-09-12). Headlines for September 12, 2019. democracynow.org U.S. Denies Protected Status to Bahamians as 2,500 Listed as Missing, Supreme Court Allows Trump's Asylum Ban to Take Effect, "I Don't Want to Die": Honduran Teen with Cystic Fibrosis Says Deportation Would Kill Him, 37-Year-Old Mexican Man Dies in ICE Custody, the 8th Such Death This Fiscal Year, Reporters Barred from Secretive Immigration Tent Courts on Southern Border, Sacklers Would Remain Billionaires & Admit No Wrongdoing Under Tentative Opioid Settlement, Trump Says FDA Will Ban Flavored E-Cigarettes, U.N. Investigators Say U.S.-Led Forces Committed War Crimes in Syria, Skyrocketing Violence Continues Ahea…

Lucas Koerner (2019-09-11). Venezuela's Maduro Warns of Colombia 'Threat' as Trump Fires Bolton. venezuelanalysis.com Venezuelan military exercises along the border started on Tuesday.

Fight Back (2019-09-10). Hezbollah shoots down Israeli drone. fightbacknews.org Washington DC — The progressive Lebanese political party Hezbollah announced early September 9 that its military forces had shot down an Israeli Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) over Lebanon. | In a statement, Hezbollah's media relations office said their forces "repelled with appropriate weapons an Israeli drone as it crossed the Palestinian-Lebanese border towards the southern town of Ramieh." | "The drone was downed in the outskirts of the town and now it is in the hands of the Resistance fighters," the statement added. | Israel frequently violates Lebanon's airspace and launched an August 25 drone attack o…

Staff (2019-09-10). From a Lebanese Refugee Camp to Harvard, Ismail Ajjawi Inspires Other Palestinian Students. democracynow.org Today marks a week since Ismail Ajjawi, a 17-year-old Palestinian student who was denied entry into the United States, began classes with his fellow Harvard freshmen. Ajjawi was initially turned away at Boston's Logan Airport after immigration officials searched his phone and computer, and interrogated him about his religion and social media posts by friends that were critical of U.S. policy. He was then forced to return home to Lebanon, but his case provoked outrage on the Harvard campus and among some Palestinian rights and academic freedom groups. Ajjawi, who is attending Harvard on a full scholarship, was edu…

Staff (2019-09-10). An Invisible Crisis: Thousands of African Migrants Are Stranded in Mexico Hoping to Head North. democracynow.org Hundreds of African migrants in Mexico are protesting the country's refusal to grant them transit visas to travel to the United States or Canada, where they want to apply for asylum. For months, thousands of African migrants have been forced by the Mexican government to stay in the southern state of Chiapas, on the Guatemalan border. Many of them have been sleeping in tent cities, cooking on the streets and bathing their children in buckets, without the promise of shelter, food or work permits. The long waits for African migrants began in June, when it was reported that Mexican immigration authorities were ignori…

Staff (2019-09-10). "They Need Our Help": Bahamian-American Lawmaker Urges U.S. to Let In Storm Survivors Seeking Refuge. democracynow.org The death toll in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian hit 50 Monday and is expected to keep rising exponentially. Many survivors of the Category 5 storm are now seeking refuge in the United States. At least 4,000 hurricane survivors have traveled to the U.S. since the hurricane hit, but many more are facing a struggle with paperwork and mounting confusion about what's necessary to gain entry. Over the weekend, more than 100 people seeking aid and refuge in the U.S. were turned away after boarding a ferry bound for Florida. Acting Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection Mark Morgan said that the U.S. is consi…

Staff (2019-09-09). "No Accountability": FBI Investigates ICE Shooting of Undocumented Man in Nashville Suburb. democracynow.org The FBI is investigating the shooting of an undocumented immigrant by an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent during a traffic stop last week. The shooting occurred Thursday at a supermarket parking lot in Antioch, a suburb of Nashville, where workers often gather to be picked up for a day's work. ICE agents were attempting to detain an unnamed 39-year-old Mexican man, who reportedly attempted to flee in a white box truck, when one of the agents shot him twice. It has now been revealed that the ICE agent involved in the shooting is one of the officers who made headlines in July after community members blocke…

Staff (2019-09-09). Headlines for September 9, 2019. democracynow.org Trump Calls Off Secret Afghanistan Meeting, Putting Fate of Possible Peace Deal in Question, Bahama Grapples with Hurricane Dorian's Devastation as U.S. Turns Away Asylum Seekers, FBI Investigates Shooting of Undocumented Man by ICE Agent in Tennessee, Trump Admin Failing to Provide Legal Aid for Migrant Children, 8.5-Month-Pregnant Asylum Seeker Kicked Out of U.S. Under "Remain in Mexico" Policy, U.S. Air Force & House Dems Investigate Spending at Trump's Scottish Turnberry Resort, Heating of Pacific Ocean Threatens Marine Life, Endangered Species, Israeli Military Fatally Shoots Two Palestinian Teens in Gaza, S…

Michael Atkinson (2019-09-06). Immigrant Song: 'I'm Leaving Now'. progressive.org A new documentary trains our focus on an underexposed slice of the immigration dynamic: the urge to return home.

splcenter (2019-08-30). Weekend Read: Trump's anti-immigrant campaign gets even crueler. splcenter.org The list of cruelties that the Trump administration is inventing in its zeal to punish migrants and their children keeps getting longer and more extreme.

Lucas Koerner and Ricardo Vaz (2019-08-28). Report: One Venezuelan Migrant Killed Every Day in Colombia. venezuelanalysis.com Criminal activity and xenophobic attacks have been cited among the main causes.

CounterSpin (2019-08-23). Sasha Abramsky on Trump's New Attack on Immigrants. fair.org Media…

ACLU (2019-08-22). A Louisiana Parish Jailed a U.S. Citizen for Being Latinx. We're Suing. aclu.org Officers in a Louisiana jail held a U.S. citizen for four days on an immigration hold simply because of his skin color and name. | Ramon Torres had been a U.S. citizen for nearly ten years when he was detained for four days on an immigration hold — despite having a U.S. passport, a Louisiana driver's license, and a Social Security card, and despite that fact that a court ordered his release. | Torres' ordeal began in August 2018, when he was pulled over and arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated. Torres, a naturalized U.S. citizen since 2009, was carrying multiple forms of identification, inclu…

ACLU (2019-08-19). Trump is Taking More Money for Raids and Detention. Congress Should Stop Him. aclu.org Without congressional checks, ICE and CBP will continue to overspend and overstep. | 08/27/19 Update: Congress made public today a document outlining the Department of Homeland Security's plan to take nearly $280 million in funds meant for FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, and the TSA, among other critical priorities. Over $115 million of these funds will go towards President Trump's growing detention and deportations of immigrants, with the rest being used for sham border courts to…

Ricardo Vaz (2019-08-08). Venezuelan Campesinos' March on Miraflores Blocked by Police. venezuelanalysis.com The mobilization marked the one-year anniversary of the Admirable Campesino March.